Cuba’s figurehead leader Miguel Díaz-Canel delivered a fiery anti-American speech Sunday at the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, attacking President Donald Trump’s renewed sanctions on the island’s communist regime and celebrating Cuba’s status as a “partner” in the anti-Western coalition.
The summit, held July 6–7, gathered leaders of the BRICS nations—minus Chinese dictator Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Cuba, long aligned with anti-U.S. causes, joined a dozen nations as a “partner” rather than a full member, though officials hinted this could change in the future.
Díaz-Canel took direct aim at President Trump’s newly signed memorandum reinstating firm restrictions on the Cuban regime, reversing the Biden administration’s previous concessions. Calling BRICS a “synonym for hope,” the Cuban figurehead accused the U.S. of trying to provoke social unrest through an “economic blockade,” a long-standing propaganda claim of the Castro regime.
Díaz-Canel falsely labeled the U.S. embargo as unjustified and accused the Trump administration of “imperial arrogance.” In reality, Cuba’s ongoing crisis is a result of decades of failed communist policies, not U.S. sanctions. He claimed the new measures were aimed at “economic suffocation” and controlling Cuba’s political direction.
The Cuban leader used the summit to express solidarity with Iran, condemning Israeli strikes against Iran’s nuclear program and denouncing Israel’s self-defense against Hamas terrorists. He labeled Israel’s military actions as “genocide” and accused the U.S. of enabling them through military and financial support.
He further attacked the United States for what he called “massive, violent, and racist deportations of migrants,” and claimed the U.S. lacks the authority to designate state sponsors of terrorism, criticizing Cuba’s inclusion on that list.
Díaz-Canel ended his remarks with a call to strengthen the anti-U.S. BRICS coalition, which includes major authoritarian regimes. His statements aligned closely with the narratives of America’s adversaries, while celebrating Cuba’s deepening ties with powers openly hostile to Western values.
